Over the years, you have probably read some stories about interesting items being uncovered in the gardens of owners’ homes. It could be a valuable gold coin or piece of porcelain pot from Roman times or, dare we say, the more gruesome discovery of the body of a deceased person leading to a murder enquiry.
Well, for all you lovers of classic cars – in particular the Ferrari we thought you would find the following story that we have unearthed (forgive the pun) worthy of a read.
Back in 1978, some children were digging in the front garden of a property in Los Angeles, USA when they came upon the roof of what turned out to be a vehicle. That roof belonged to no less than a Ferrari Dino 246 GTS.
The police were called and a team arrived with suitable equipment to carefully uncover and remove the classic car. The car had been covered in plastic sheeting and places like the air intakes had toweling stuffed into them no doubt with a view to providing some protection for the vehicle. Its green metallic paint bodywork was obviously worse for wear with rust and its interior was not looking all that good. The windscreen was shattered and the bodywork badly dented and scratched no doubt due to the weight of the soil bearing down on it.
Enquiries with the then tenants of the property and people living in the neighbourhood drew a blank. We are sure that you will agree that this seems rather strange as we are not talking about planting some bulbs in the front garden – this was a full-size motor vehicle! You would have thought someone would have seen or heard what was going on.
Well, upon looking into its history, it was discovered that it was purchased back in October 1974 by a plumber for his wife for $22,500 (£14,380). In early December of that year, they drove the Ferrari to a restaurant in the city where they celebrated their wedding anniversary. Unfortunately, upon leaving the restaurant, they discovered that the car had been stolen and its theft was reported to the police. As the car could not be found the insurance company later paid out $22,500 (£14,380).
The question remains as to why a thief would want to hide a car as beautiful as this underground? It appears we shall never find that out.
Anyway, to conclude, the car is believed to have been sold at auction for between $5,000 to $9,000 to a car mechanic who, possibly with the help of others, restored the vehicle. However, rather mysteriously, its current whereabouts remain unknown although it apparently has a number plate with the words “DUGUP”.
Interestingly, some Ferrari Dino 246 GTS’s can fetch over £250,000.
AIB have experience of insuring new and old Ferrari’s and have a number of solutions for the Ferrari owner. Call the team on 02380 268351 for an instant quote and cover.
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